Tom Pearce, formerly of 'The Only Way is Essex', was left fighting for his life in intensive care after undergoing surgery to correct the curvature of his spine

Tom Pearce was in intensive care for two days after undergoing an operation which could have left him in a wheelchair.

The former 'The Only Way is Essex' hunk had surgery in January to correct the curvature of his spine and revealed any complications during the terrifying procedure could have left him unable to walk because of the delicate area on which they were working.

He explained: "They broke my back in 15 places and I have two titanium rods either side of my spine. It was a massive op - I was in hospital for over a week and in intensive care for two days. If something had gone wrong I could have ended up in a wheelchair."

Although the operation was a success, he admitted six weeks later he is still unable to complete simple tasks so has been forced to move back in to his family home.

He said: "I went back to my mum and dad's - the plan was just for a week, but four weeks later I'm still here as it's so hard to do anything and there have been some complications.

"I can't lift anything more than 1kg - that's a bag of sugar - so people even have to pull out chairs for me. Thankfully I've been able to shower and wash myself, though. It'll be three months before I can go back in the gym, which I can't wait for."

However, the 23-year-old stockbroker revealed there have been some positive outcomes, as he now has far less of a chance of developing a hunchback, and is almost three inches taller.

He told Now magazine: "One good thing is that because the curve's been sorted, I'm now 2.5in taller. I was 5ft 11in before and now I'm 6ft 1in!"